I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Chuck and Larry

Folks would have remembered Kevin James as the affable guy who needed help from Will Smith to hook up with girls in the romantic comedy Hitch. Which I thought was a little strange, because, and I'm not gay, James comes across in likeable terms. In Chuck and Larry, he's the latter, again looking for help as his job as a firefighter puts him in considerable risks, and wants to ensure that his children's welfare is taken of in the unfortunate event that he goes.

So who can a man turn to except to his best friend, Chuck (Adam Sandler), through a vowed favour to repay. In order go get around red tape, he has to marry somebody who will get his insurance dollars and use that to care for his children. And since same-sex domestic partnership is in, why not exploit it with none other than a buddy whom you have known for considerable time? But of course getting a ladies man to forever ditch his gallivanting ways is a tall order, and worse, having him to declare that he's gay is akin to asking him to lose all his limbs (yes, including that one).

And to a test of their brotherly friendship and marital vows, temptation comes in the form of hot lawyer Alex (Jessica Biel, who looked smokin hot with those glasses), who proves to be too much to handle for the women-loving Chuck. Is it always that women will let down their guard with a gay guy who proves to be a best of both worlds confidante?

Expect the usual gay and homophobic jokes to spew from the movie. However, Chuck and Larry somehow had a lot more heart in it than anyone would like to credit it for. While touching on certain gay issues does allow it to receive some punching bag treatment to bring on some laughs, I felt that it was not so much about gayness or a gay show, than it is about the friendship amongst the bestest of friends, you know, the one whom you can slug it out with when your views differ, but no sooner than the fists are put away, you can hit the nearest pub and down some pints together. While you may argue that it tackles the gay issue and opposition to them in a rather superficial manner, I thought it covered a lot of ground, and while they may be disguised under laughter, actually had very serious and contemporary issues brewing underneath it all. It may seem like a platform mouthpiece, but provides a very succinct coverage of the discrimination and prejudice these same-sex lovers face from society.

The supporting cast here are recognizable faces, although reduced mostly to caricatures, like Dan Aykroyd, Ving Rhames, and Steve Buscemi as a federal employee fraud investigator that you would just love to hate, especially with his disgustingly unhygienic coin pouch and irritating demeanour.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is a pretty even comedy with dramatic and touching moments. It's a romantic comedy with an added dimension, filled with an excellent soundtrack from acts like Wham, PM Dawn and even Cyndi Lauper. Oh, and you'll never look at, or use postal terms, ever the same again!